Lunch at the Guildford Arms

I’m not sure about branching out into food reviews rather than recipes, but this is a handy place for me to jot down places I’ve enjoyed eating in, so I’m going to give it a go.

The Guildford Arms is a gastropub in Greenwich, SE London. It currently looks a wee bit blank and uninviting from the outside – indeed I had walked past it ages ago and found its starkness a bit intimidating. It might not exactly be a cozy boozer, but it turns out to be a great place to eat as well as drink, with local Meantime beer on tap as well as Madonna’s favourite pint, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

For my starter I had cauliflower soup with truffle oil – this was creamy, perfectly seasoned and the cauliflower flavour was spot-on, not too over-powering. My companion had Roquefort, Roasted Walnut, Beetroot & Chicory salad which was nice.

M’companion had beer-battered fish and chips – fish was excellent. I tried the chips – not quite crispy enough on the outside for my liking; possibly they’d not been cooked twice (or thrice) on a high-enough heat at the end. My main course was sublime though: slow-cooked ox-cheeks with anise, smoked garlic mash, sprout leaves and carrots. The meat was delicious and melted in the mouth. The smoked garlic was hardly detectable in the mash, but it was perfectly smooth and warm and filling, and perfect for a sunny winter’s day. The greens hiding underneath were perfect.

For pudding my companion had warm chocolate and hazlenut brownie with ice cream, and I had pecan tart with whisky ice cream. The former was very nice, the latter was perfect. The pecan tart was sweet and moist and the ice cream had a big hit of whisky flavour. One for the road!

The Guildford Arms has a formal dining room on the first floor and a second floor function room, plus a decent-sized garden and decked area. It’s run by Guy Awford, who also runs the nearby Inside restaurant which we had a lovely after-movie dinner in recently.

Three course lunch for two, including a pint of tasty Meantime pale ale and a half of cider came to £33.85. We’ll be back.